Scattering Methods
Polymeric materials exhibit a diverse range of structures ranging from linear chains, to block copolymers to dendritic or hyperbranched architectures in which inter- and intramolecular interactions are determined by the chemical composition within each architectural subunit. As a result polymeric systems show organisation phenomena over various length scales. A comprehensive structural analysis requires experimental methods covering length scales from interatomic distances and up to macroscopic dimensions. In order to cover the length scales from Å to µm, we make use of scattering techniques with various probes in order to detect and characterize structures at various size scales:
- Wide angle X ?ray diffraction experiments are sensitive to interatomic spatial correlations in the Å to nanometer range.
- Small angle X-ray scattering is used to investigate structures in the size range between 1-60 nm characteristic for semicrystalline polymers, copolymers, nanocomposites.
- Neutron scattering sensitive complement X-ray scattering experiments due to their unique possibilities of controlling scattering length contrast by deuteration.
- Wide and small angle light scattering extending the possibility of structural analysis up to the micrometer range.
- X-ray and Neutron reflectometry to determine thin film structures perpendicular to the film surface
- (Imaging) Ellipsometry to provide time and spatially resolved information about thin film structures perpendicular to the film surface
- Grazing incidence X-ray and Neutron scattering techniques to obtain information about lateral structures in thin filmy in a size range between 5nm and 5µm.